Miracle at Mount Athos

During the eighth year of the abbacy of Elder Athanasios, a wonderful event gave great spiritual joy to the fathers, and revived their devotion to the Bishop of Myra. How can one not break forth in praise when one sees the tangible assistance of a Saint!

There were two brothers, Fr. Michael and Fr. Chrysanthos, who worked in the Monastery’s bakery. One day, just as on many others, they were preparing the wheat that was to be ground in the mill. They passed it through a special machine to clean it of dirt and chaff. They were not very happy, however, because the wheat was almost used up and it was difficult to procure more.

Suddenly a little old man came up to their work area. He was short, bald, and poorly dressed, and he held a Gospel in his hand.

“How are you, Fathers? How is it going?”

“Well, glory be to God!”

“Do you have all the wheat you need?”

“What you see is all we have, Grandfather. It is only enough for one baking, and we have to do two bakings a week.”

A little while later the two monks said: “We didn’t do right to let the old man leave. Let’s call him back and give him something to eat.”

They ran after him to catch him, but he was nowhere to be found. A strange thing! — One would think he were a young man with wings on his feet to disappear so fast. They asked the other monks, but no one had seen him or knew anything about him.

Little by little they came to realize that the little old man might have been St. Nicholas. There was some doubt, of course, but time took care of that, for they beheld a wonder: the wheat that the old man had blessed lasted for six whole months! It was an obvious miracle.